posted at 5:45 pm on July 2, 2007 by Bryan

More: Earlier today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit refused to put Libby’s sentence on hold, meaning he would have had to go to jail while his appeal was ongoing.

Update (AP): I guess this is his way of splitting the difference between people who want Libby pardoned and people who think he should serve out the sentence prescribed by the judicial process. It should earn him a point or two with the base after the shamnesty debacle.

“My decision to commute his prison sentence leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby,” Bush said in a statement. “The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting.”

The president’s action means that Libby’s conviction still stands and he is still required to pay the $250,000 fine ordered by a federal judge.

Update (AP): Rush appealed for a pardon this afternoon. No doubt this will be played by advocates of the Fairness Doctrine as Bush having done talk radio’s bidding.

Update (AP): Here’s Bush’s full statement. “Mr. Fitzgerald is a highly qualified, professional prosecutor who carried out his responsibilities as charged.”

“As Independence Day nears, we’re reminded that one of the principles our forefathers fought for was equal justice under the law. This commutation completely tramples on that principle,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said through a spokesman.

Libby’s supporters celebrated.

“That’s fantastic. It’s a great relief,” said former Ambassador Richard Carlson, who helped raise millions for Libby’s defense fund. “Scooter Libby did not deserve to go to prison and I’m glad the president had the courage to do this.”

Update (AP): More reaction — from Fred: “I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President’s decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life.”

Update (AP): “I don’t underrate the seriousness of perjury, but in sentencing, or using the pardon power, you consider mitigating factors. Unlike the Paula Jones case, no individual litigant was harmed by obstruction of the discovery process. And unlike the Sandy Berger case, there was no successful coverup.”

Update (AP): Stories like this are so transparently partisan that it’s almost not worth covering the reaction.

“The President’s decision to commute Mr. Libby’s sentence is disgraceful. Libby’s conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq War. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone,” Reid said in a statement. “The Constitution gives President Bush the power to commute sentences, but history will judge him harshly for using that power to benefit his own Vice President’s Chief of Staff who was convicted of such a serious violation of law.”

Update (AP): More from Raw Story — the Wilsons’ lawyer, who doubles as the head of CREW, is none too pleased.

Melanie Sloan, the executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who is representing the Plame and her husband Ambassador Joe Wilson in a civil suit against Libby and other top Bush administration officials, slammed the decision on behalf of the Wilsons.

“First, President Bush said any person who leaked would no longer work in his administration. Nonetheless, Scooter Libby didn’t leave office until he was indicted and Karl Rove works in the White House even today,” Sloan said in a statement sent to RAW STORY. “More recently, the vice president ignored an executive order protecting classified information, claiming he isn’t really part of the executive branch. Clearly, this is an administration that believes leaking classified information for political ends is justified and that the law is what applies to other people.”

Update (AP): CNN compares Bush’s record on pardons and commutations to the last 10 presidents’. Plus: reaction round-up, featuring Joe Biden calling on Americans to flood the White House phone lines the way amnesty opponents did in sinking the POS immigration bill!

In an interview with ABC News Radio, Joseph Wilson said Bush’s commutation of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s prison term demonstrates that “this administration is corrupt to the core – from top to bottom.”…

In commuting part of Libby’s sentence, Wilson says, President Bush is complicit in Libby’s crimes.

“He is an accessory to the obstruction of justice in this commutation of the sentence,” Wilson told ABC News. “He, himself, is now under a cloud.”

Update (Bryan): Courtesy Ms Underestimated, here’s a meeting of the addled minds. Keith Olbermann and Joe Wilson discuss the Libby pardon. You get it all, from Wilson’s loopy lies to Olby’s wacky conspiracy theories. It’s just what you expect, which makes it perfect. Perfectly insane, but perfect.

Update (AP):WaPo reports that Bush’s friends and most aides were told not to bug him about Libby. Why? “The White House’s handling of the Libby case appears to have been designed to make it possible for Bush to say he was not the subject of undue political pressure in the same manner that President Bill Clinton was lobbied to make controversial pardons in the final days of his administration.”

Blowback

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Poor Bush doesn’t want the libs to be mad at him – hence the nasty attack on Libby at the same time as he commuted the prison part of his sentence.

So, Bush is just reminding us that Libby loses his entire livelihood, so the libs shouldn’t be mad at poor, persecuted Bush. I would have been more impressed with the commute without the jab.

TwoCents on July 2, 2007 at 6:26 PM

I doubt you’ll hear Scooter complaining. I would imagine he has invested quite heavily and the 250K is chump change in comparison to a prison sentence. And since a large share of the population felt he was railroaded, his future career won’t be hurt at all. I’d expect a book deal within 6 months.

I am a little disappointed that Bush didn’t stick it to the liberal idiots (especially the whiney weasel Schumer) with a full pardon. Hell, Clinton pardoned his share of people far worse the Libby.

Someone must be spiking George’s water lately. First the support of the Shamnesty debacle, and now refusing a full pardon for Libby. Too weird!

heh heh heh. I hope Bryan waits until fred? gets way out on a limb on this. We can already see he is inching himself out there. freds? fall will certainly be a mighty one and it will be heard around the blogosphere.

…..except that it makes it even more an outrage, a travesty of justice, that border agents Ramos and Campeon are still languishing in solitary confinement. For doing their jobs.

These men deserve a pardon far more than Libby ever will.

What a disgrace. We can give a pardon to our political buddies, but not to servants of the public good who were prosecuted by the corrupt Johnny Sutton. Men who did their jobs to protect us, and the word of criminals was taken over theirs. Men whose thanks for their work has been their imprisonment, violent assaults on them by criminals, and leaving them to suffer with their wounds in solitary.

When Tony Snow addressed the media about Ramos and Campeon, and stated that Bush felt the need to pursue due diligence before making a decision on whether to pardon them, he was asked whether President Ford followed such diligence when he immediately issued a pardon to Nixon.

I like Tony Snow as much as anyone, but I think even he would have to admit that he had no good answer for that. Because there isn’t one.

The real losers in this situation will actually be Reid and Pelosi. The word of the day at DU is IMPEACH, and the dynamic duo will once again disappoint their base by rolling over and letting Chimpy McBushitler wipe his feet on their doormat backsides.

I wish Bush would have pardoned Libby, but I will take it. This trial was a complete joke. Has anyone called for a special prosecuter for Valerie. She lied about whether she had anything to do with sending her husband to Niger. How many stories has she had? Good day for Scooter, and a great day for me. I will enjoy watching the libs implode over this.

Indeed, this is an outrage that these two even got within a hundred yards of that prison. Damn shame Putin didn off the El Presidente Boosh. Johnny Sutton ought to ne disbarred jusy like Mike Nifong because the situation is identical. Presecutor over stepped his authority to frmae law enforcement officers.

Dunno folks…this whole mess was a political mess in the first place. There was never a crime to be investigated…and yet it was investigated. During the investigation people were asked about various and sundry conversations as weighty as your conversations today just prior to lunch…and then asked about them again MONTHS later. Mr. Libby, when asked, “WHAT! is the capital of Assyria?” said, “What? I don’t know that” and was tossed into the Canyon of Eternal Peril…otherwise known as our Justice System.

There’s a moral to the story. While the investigation was silly it was what it was. Mr. Libby knew going in that it would be something as silly as a wrong answer to, “So Mr Libby, was the sandwich on wheat or rye?” that would land him on a perjury charge. He should’ve taken better notes.

Since the whole thing was political anyway, I don’t see how this political posturing by the President matters one iota.

I’m gonna watch the first few minutes of Hardball with Chris Matthews because I want to see that giant gob of spittle form on the side of his mouth as he rants unconsolably about Scooter getting no jail time.

doubt you’ll hear Scooter complaining. I would imagine he has invested quite heavily and the 250K is chump change in comparison to a prison sentence. And since a large share of the population felt he was railroaded, his future career won’t be hurt at all. I’d expect a book deal within 6 months.

stacman on July 2, 2007 at 6:37 PM

It’s not whether or Libby will be able to find work (as I am sure he will), it was Bush’s need to remind everyone of the penalties that he left in place so that the libs or MSM or whoever he is scared of won’t get too mad.

For those who haven’t, do check out the DU link. Their tears, they taste of sweet, sweet nectar. I know how my evening is going to be spent- furiously updating DU, HuffPo and DKos to revel in their misery and anger.

Just stay away from the emergency room- judging by their reactions so far, I predict a massive influx of aneurysms tonight.

Bush is still a screwup, but I think he made the right call here- 30 months was harsh.

No, atually, I was hoping for this because it basically hurts Bush more, along with Thompson. It’ll make great campaign ads for next fall, considering that higher than 2/3rds of the American people opposed this.

GW has NO street smarts whatsoever. By not giving Libby a full pardon he is admitting that there was some truth in the charges. Dumbass is hanging his team player out there. Plus he opens up the possibility that his administration did in fact did out VP in a payback attempt to Joe Wilson.

Meanwhile on CNN, the anchorette babe sitting in for Wolfie is breathlessly interviewing… wait for it… JOE WILSON.

Who, claimed the anchorette, DEBUNKED Pres Bush’s claim that Iraq wanted uranium. And so he, the voice of “integrity” for CNN is on defending himself, his wife and the left’s version of Alice in Wonderland.

This is the fundamental problem with President Bush. Of all the options available he takes the single worst every time, or so it seems.

The commutation will earn him exactly the same condemnation from the left that a pardon would have. His half-measure will gain him nothing politically from that quarter. At the same time, he will infuriate those Republicans and others who believe that Mr. Libby ought to have been pardoned. If nothing else, it would have enabled him to continue in a legal career. But no.

Another thing this has demonstrated is a real lack of loyalty to his supporters, which has manifested itself time and time again.

Not to mention Pres. Clinton own perjury.
Lying Under Oath as President – 2 times
Lying Under Oath as Governor – 5 times
Lying Under Oath as Attorney General
Lying Under Oath in a Deposition
Lying Under Oath to a Grand Jury
Lying Under Oath as a Lawyer

And Reid is so shocked? So..so…unbecoming as for a president to issue a commute?

What is interesting is that apart from the Beltway and apart from die-hard politicoes on websites on the left and right, the vast majority of middle America, working America doesnt care what happens to Scooter Libby and really hasnt followed his case at all.

So if the Dems feel they can GALVANIZE the Nation to rally behind a pardon for a guy most Americans never heard of, and dont care about, oooh boy are they in for yet another shock.

Right on, Blaise. Attempting to justify the President’s weak half-measure on the basis of avoiding some level of criticism from the press, is like pushing through immigration in hopes of courting the Hispanic vote. It ain’t gonna happen! Instead, everyone walks away from this little “gesture” thinking, “The President still thinks he’s guilty.” and while avoiding prison is pretty good break for Mr. Libby, huge fines, loss of job, and a standing conviction, aren’t just slaps on the wrist.

The idea behind a pardon would be to publicly acknowledge this was a travesty, a show trial. The President, as often happens, chose the middle-of-the-road option. My Dad always told me that if you stand in the middle of the road, you get run over from both directions. Watch out, George!

No, atually, I was hoping for this because it basically hurts Bush more, along with Thompson. It’ll make great campaign ads for next fall, considering that higher than 2/3rds of the American people opposed this.

Yeah, there go Bush’s reelection hopes. The shame will be unbearable, I’m sure.

Just a programming note: I’ll be guest-hosting the O’Reilly Factor this evening, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We’ll be talking terror and immigration, among other topics, tonight. Be sure to tune in.

I posted on DAILYKOS, but Free Speech there gets deleted when it does not go along with the LEFTIST diatribe.

They on the LEFT are crying that “democracy is failing” and the “sky is falling”, but where was their hand wringing when Clinton exercised 140 pardons on his last day? They are just hypocrits.

Some examples:

Clinton issued 140 pardons on his last day of office (January 20, 2001). Some controversial pardons include the following:

Carlos A. Vignali had his sentence for cocaine trafficking commuted, after serving 6 of 15 years in federal prison.

Almon Glenn Braswell was pardoned of his mail fraud and perjury convictions, even while a federal investigation was underway regarding additional money laundering and tax evasion charges. Braswell and Carlos Vignali each paid approximately $200,000 to Hillary Clinton’s brother, Hugh Rodham, to represent their respective cases for clemency. Hugh Rodham returned the payments after they were disclosed to the public. Braswell would later invoke the Fifth Amendment at a Senate Committee hearing in 2001, when questioned about allegations of his having systematically defrauded senior citizens of millions of dollars.

Marc Rich, a fugitive, was pardoned of tax evasion, after clemency pleas from Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, among many other international luminaries. Denise Rich, Marc’s former wife, was a close friend of the Clintons and had made substantial donations to both Clinton’s library and Hillary’s Senate campaign. Several months after her last donation, emails reveal Republican attorney “Scooter” Libby asked her to approach Clinton about pardoning Marc Rich. Clinton agreed to a pardon that required Marc Rich to pay a $100,000,000 fine before he could return to the United States. According to Paul Volcker’s independent investigation of Iraqi Oil-for-Food kickback schemes, Marc Rich was a middleman for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels of oil.

Susan McDougal, who had already completed her sentence, was pardoned for her role in the Whitewater scandal; McDougal had served 18 months on contempt charges for refusing to testify about Clinton’s role.

Dan Rostenkowski, a former Democratic Congressman convicted in the Congressional Post Office Scandal. Rostenkowski had served his entire sentence.

Melvin J. Reynolds, a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, who was convicted of bank fraud, 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of child pornography had his sentence commuted on the bank fraud charged and was allowed to serve the final months under the auspices of a half way house. He had served his entire sentence on child sex abuse charges before the commutation of the later convictions.

Roger Clinton, the president’s half-brother, on drug charges after having served the entire sentence more than a decade before. Roger Clinton would be charged with drunk driving and disorderly conduct in an unrelated incident within a year of the pardon.[14] He was also briefly alleged to have been utilized in lobbying for the Braswell pardon, among others.

Some other controversial Pardons by Clinton:

Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory pardons

In March 2000, Bill Clinton pardoned Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory, owners of the carnival company United Shows International, for charges of bank fraud from a 1982 conviction (the couple were already out of jail, but the prior conviction prevented them from doing business transactions in certain states).

FALN Pardons in 1999.

On August 11, 1999, Clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of FALN, a violent Puerto Rican nationalist group that set off 120 bombs in the United States.

For everyone that thinks Libby should have been pardoned. A pardon at this time would NOT be in Scooter’s best interests. A commutation is, it allows him to be free while he pursues his appeal, and he has a real good shot at having his conviction overturned.

That is MUCH BETTER than a pardon, because it will repudiate the Special Prosecutor’s whole handling of the affair. Sometimes you have to calm your emotions and look past the end of your nose. Try it, you’d be surprised at what you might learn.

Besides, GW can pardon him later if the appeal goes against him. Carry on.

Plus he opens up the possibility that his administration did in fact did out VP in a payback attempt to Joe Wilson.

No a pardon would have completely closed the case. No however Libby is fully capable of appealing his conviction, with everything that that entails.

Just what does that entail you ask?

It means…

a) bringing out the fact that Plame was not a covert operative. She had not been a covert operative since since 1994, in the late 80′s or early 90′s Aldrich Ames sold a list of CIA covert agents to the KGB, Valerie Plame was one of the agents he gave up and the CIA knew it. They knew it because in late 80′s and early 90′s every contact of Valerie’s turned up dead right after meeting with her.

b) it means bring out in the open Ambassador Joe Wilson’s testimony before congress about Iraq’s attempts to purchase yellowcake from Niger, testimony where Joe Wilson knowingly and intentionally perjured himself in front of congress.

c) It means bringing Valerie Plame’s testimony up where she testified before congress that she had nothing what so ever to do with sending her husband to Niger on a fact finding mission to look into claims that Iraq was attempting to purchase yellowcake from Niger, testimony where Valerie Plame knowingly and intentionally committed perjury before congress regarding her actual role in sending Ambassador Joe Wilson to Niger.

One more half-hearted move from GWB. Should have pardoned Libby the day of the verdict with a statement scorning the Stalinist show trial nonsense of the entire b.s. escapade by the preposterous prosecutor and his smarmy Democrat shills.

Bush is now for letting Libby waste more money on a petition against a political prosecution for a non-crime that Armitage got nothing for, because there was no covert status blown under the existing laws.

The Weakness continues.

If Scooter had been an illegal alien, he’s have gotten not only a full pardon but a sobby mention and fulsome bow-fest at the next State of the Union address.

I have yet to hear any mention today of how stacked Libby’s jury was (including a former WaPo reporter), nor anything about the jury’s statements after the trial that showed that his chances of getting a fair and impartial trial in D.C. were well below slim and none–even aside from Fitz’s witch hunt. But for those of you who weren’t around here back then, here’s the thread from the day of the verdict.

…Joe Biden calling on Americans to flood the White House phone lines the way amnesty opponents did…

I say we flood the White House phone lines with calls thanking the President for commuting the sentence. Then when they tally everything up they’ll have to say, “Calls in favor of the President’s decision were running 3:1″ HAHAHAHAHA.

I was aware of some of those facts. This whole fiasco is about the Bush lied syndrome. It has come full circle. This case was a witch hunt from the very beginning. If this is the reaction to a commuted sentence wait till Libby’s appeal trial.